"SIGNIFICANT wetland habitat” is to blame for the hold-up of
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the Batemans Bay marina redevelopment, according to Bega MP Andrew Constance.
Mr Constance said Crown Lands and marina developer Ariadne were in the middle of negotiations to get approval for an upgrade of the existing facility.
He said environmental issues, including the wetland habitat, are problems that “can’t be resolved immediately”.
This comes five years after Ariadne first expected to begin construction on the redevelopment, which was originally expected to cost $60 million.
When Ariadne lodged its preliminary environmental assessment with the NSW Planning Department in 2007, it was expected that the company would begin the redevelopment in 2008.
However, the plans have been continuously delayed as the developer struggled to get the environmental assessment passed by the State Government.
Last week Mr Constance said he’d spoken to Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner about the marina.
He said the NSW Government had agreed to work with the developer to permit the immediate reinvestment and refurbishment of the current structure and additional berths and commercial buildings at the western end of the site, where there aren’t environmental issues.
“The community is really dependent on an outcome sooner rather than later,” Mr Constance said.
A new marina is vital to attracting more boaters and is an economic driver, he said.
Meanwhile, Ariadne and Crown Lands continue to work on the environmental issues associated with the proposed redevelopment, according to Mr Constance.